John Tortorella named a finalist for Jack Adams Award

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach John Tortorella has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, presented annually to the NHL's coach of the year as voted on by the National Hockey League Broadcasters Association, the club and League announced tonight.
Tortorella led the Blue Jackets to the best season in the club's 17-year history in 2016-17 with a 50-24-8 record and 108 points, which was the fourth-best mark in the NHL. The club's 108 points was a 32-point turnaround from 2015-16 when Columbus finished with a 34-40-8 mark and 76 points. This past season, the Blue Jackets ranked second in the League in goals-against average (2.35 per game), sixth in goals-for (3.01), ninth in penalty killing (83.3 percent) and 12th in power play efficiency (19.8 percent). The club also boasted the third-best goal differential in the League at +54.

Tortorella joined the Blue Jackets on Oct. 21, 2015 and has led the club to an 84-57-16 record (.586 points percentage). On Dec. 18, 2016, he became the first U.S.-born coach and the 24th in NHL history to record 500 wins in a 4-3 overtime victory at Vancouver. The Boston-native is the winningest U.S.-born coach in NHL history as he has compiled a 530-432-131 record (.545) in 1,093 games with Columbus, Vancouver, NY Rangers and Tampa Bay.
Tortorella previously won the Jack Adams Award in 2003-04 after leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 46-22-14 record, Southeast Division title and Stanley Cup championship. He was runner-up in 2002-03 after guiding Tampa Bay to the first division title in club history with a 36-25-21 mark and in 2011-12 with the New York Rangers, whom he led to an Atlantic Division title with a 51-24-7 record.

Tortorella is the third Blue Jacket to be named a finalist for a League award this season. He joins Sergei Bobrovsky, who is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the NHL's top goaltender; and defenseman Zach Werenski, who is a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the League's top rookie.
The 2017 NHL Awards and NHL Expansion Draft will celebrate the League's top talent from the 2016-17 season and reveal the initial roster of the League's 31st team, the Vegas Golden Knights, on Wednesday, June 21, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be televised live in the United States on NBCSN at 8 p.m. ET.